high-rises

In 2017, new high-rise developments will continue to define the city’s skyline. There are currently more than 30 high-rise developments under construction and proposed for the waterfront in Queens. In Manhattan, rezoning initiatives promise to bring more high-rise developments to neighborhoods from East Harlem, Two Bridges and Midtown East. And in Downtown Brooklyn, with the 2016 approval of the borough’s tallest tower and a slew of other skyscrapers wrapping construction, the height trend is also well underway. If high-rise developments are on the rise citywide, it is not a surprise. By building up, the City of New York is able to maximize available space and even diversify certain neighborhoods by creating mixed-income housing communities. At their best, high-rise developments can drive economic and social change, but are these buildings also good for our health?

Condé Nast’s move into One World Trade Center means more than just the offices of Vogue settling in downtown, but also some other 3,000-odd editors, writers and advertising folks that make up the publishing giant’s empire. Amongst these magazines is, of course, The New Yorker. In this week’s installment of the magazine’s “Cartoon Lounge,” cartoon editor and cartoonist Bob Mankoff takes a moment to commemorate the magazine’s move into the supertall icon by musing over the skyscrapers that have appeared in The New Yorker since the city’s 1920s building boom. From his office on the 38th floor of One World Trade, watch as he shares his favorite cartoons and his own experience of seeing the New York City skyline as a kid in Queens. This video is sure to make you smile!

DRUMROLL PLEASE… You came, you voted, and now we’re pleased to announce the winner of our first-ever Building of the Year competition! Congratulations to the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed, Continuum Company-developed 45 East 22nd Streettower which won the hearts of 29 percent of over 3,500 readers who came to cast a vote. We’re not sure if it was the champagne flute-like design that sold you, or if it was the ambitious cantilever that captured your gaze, but there’s no question that this incredible 777-foot construction pushes the envelope—not only in size, but in the design of bigger, better and more luxurious living spaces. Demolition to make way for the supertall started this summer and construction will commence early next year. Once this 65-story glass beauty is complete in 2016, expect to see it tower over the Flatiron District!

The tallest residential building in the outer boroughs is underway, and no, it’s not going to be in boomtown Brooklyn, but rather along the rapidly evolving corridor of Queens Plaza in Long Island City. 42-12 28th Street will soar 57 stories from an 18,000-square-foot lot and will contain 447 luxury rental units. At its 635-foot projected height, it will be just 20 feet shy of the current outer borough tallest, One Court Square (the “Citi” building).

Recently posted images on Goldstein Hill & West‘s revamped website reveal some new aspects of the project, including its ground-level street frontage and an “extensive” amenity package to include a swimming pool directly linked to an outdoor roof deck.

What Manhattan will look like in 2018. Many of the buildings going up will be wrapped in glass. Image via CityRealty

Providing more affordable housing to New Yorkers is at the top of the De Blasio administration’s agenda, but greening the city is certainly a major concern as well. It is anticipated that a new bill aimed at cutting the city’s greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 will be signed in to law, much of which is expected to center on green building. Ambitious, yes—but is 2050 too late? The Globe and Mail recently interviewed Canadian architect and journalist Lloyd Alter on the glass condo obsession, which, as with NYC, is taking the cities of Vancouver and Toronto by storm. What Alter shares for the future of glass towers worldwide is quite bleak, but he also proposes a number of measures and case studies that NYC developers should certainly take note of if they want to reduce costs and keep property values up in the long run.

You’ve probably realized that New York is in the midst of a skyscraper boom, but if the ubiquitous scaffolding and sidewalk detours haven’t given it away, we bring you further proof — with part two of our series detailing the tallest residential towers set to rise high above the city, forever changing New York’s skyline.

Compared to the previous 26 projects — the tallest of the tall that included ultra-luxury and super-tall towers such as 432 Park Avenue and 125 Greenwich Street — this second batch is composed of smaller buildings ranging from 500 to 700 feet tall and features greater geographical diversity and lots more rentals. With developers scouring the city for less expensive areas to assemble properties, these often-controversial projects are slated to rise in some of our more human-scaled ‘hoods such as East Harlem, South Street Seaport, and Williamsburg.